Apple Cake

Little Thumbs Up event, ingredient for this month is Apple, hosted by I Lost-In-Austen, reminds me of this Apple Cake which I have not baked for years! I used to bake this cake quite often (almost two decades ago!, wow how time flies!) and it was well liked by my office colleagues and friends. This cake was the most requested. And I even had orders for office gatherings, birthday and farewells parties from neighbouring offices, and I was not even selling cakes at that time!

About three years ago, when I bumped into one of my ex-colleagues, and after chit-chatting for a while, she asked me, "Do you still make the Apple Cake? I missed eating that cake! I wanted to order from you as a gift for a friend, but I lost your number!" After all those years, and she remembered! What is it about this cake that everyone seems to like? Maybe it is the buttery, moist and tender crumbs that makes eating this cake a pleasure. This is really such a simple cake, without all the heavy frostings, yet still a winner with those who have tried it. And the apple makes it all the more interesting and delightful to eat, especially if one likes a simple cake without any frostings.

Apple Cake, as described in the book "Apples are baked on top of a melt-in-the-mouth butter cake, then glazed with apricot jam.  The cake can be served warm as a dessert with whipped cream."

The recipe is from "Cakes & Slices Cookbook" by Australian Women's Weekly or you can find it from their website, here. I borrowed the book from my sister once upon a time ago, had almost all the recipes in the book copied and typewritten on A4 papers and kept them in my file folder. Here, it is, my file of almost 20 years old. The Apple Cake recipe is right on top, naturally!

This is just one of the files. I have a few more, which I've separated as "Cakes & Baking" and "Cooking & Dining"! LOL! I was sort of clearing my old files and thought of discarding most of them, but somehow I find myself putting them back in my cupboard! I guess all the hours spent collecting the recipes over the years, some are typewritten, some are handwritten, pieces of papers with notes and scribbles on them, and others in clippings from newspapers and magazines pasted on A4 paper for easy filing, all the efforts that went into it, seems such a waste if I discard them. Besides, as I browsed thru the files, there are interesting recipes which I've not tried before.... well, don't even know whether I'll make them, but just in case! LOL! Kinda sentimental value to me, I guess!

Apples are peeled, quartered and cored. Make lengthway cuts into the rounded side of apple quarters, cutting them 3/4 way through (not all the way). The apple quarters are then placed all around the baking pan, onto the batter with cut side up, arranging them close to the pan. I have used Fuji apples instead of Granny Smith. For the batter, I have reduced the sugar slightly to 120gm. 

The cake was baked at 175C for 50 minutes until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Tent the top with foil if browning too fast. Once the cake is done baking, let stand in pan for 5 minutes and gently invert the cake onto a wire rack. For the glaze, I have used 1 tablespoon apricot glaze, which I warmed with 1 teaspoon of water, then brush the warm glaze over the hot cake. Let cake cool, and slice to serve. 

A simple buttery cake, soft, moist and tender. The apples still had the slight crunch to it which is nice eaten with the cake. It can be served as a dessert with whipped cream as mentioned in the recipe, but it is good enough on its own.

Apple Cake
(adapted from "Cakes & Slices", Australian Women's Weekly) 
180gm butter (I use salted butter)
2 tsps grated lemon rind
2/3 cup (150gm) sugar (I use 120gm)
3 eggs
1 cup self-raising flour (1 cup plain flour + 1-1/2 tsps baking powder)
1/2 cup plain flour
1/3 cup milk
2 medium apples
2 tbsp water
1 tsp gelatine
2 tbsps apricot jam, warmed

Grease 20cm springform tin or deep 20cm round cake pan, cover base with paper, grease paper.

Beat butter, rind and sugar in small bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, beat until combined. Transfer mixture to large bowl, stir in sifted flours and milk, spread into prepared pan.

Peel, quarter and core apples. Make lengthways cuts into rounded sides of apple quarters, cutting about three-quarters of the way through. Place quarters, rounded side up, around edge of cake. Bake cake in moderate oven about 1 hour or until browned. Stand 5 minutes before turning onto wire rack.

Heat water in pan, sprinkle over gelatine, stir, without boiling, until gelatin is dissolved, remove from heat, stir in jam. Brush jam mixture over top of hot cake, cool before cutting.

• Recipe can be made a day earlier
• Storage : Airtight container
• Freeze : Not suitable
• Microwave : Not suitable

*********************

I'm linking this post to Little Thumbs Up event, organized by Bake For Happy Kids and My Little Favourite D.I.Y. and hosted this month by I-Lost in Austen

and 

Cook-Your-Books #16 @ Kitchen Flavours